... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A swirling batch of easy groovers – the light and lively orchestrations of Aldemaro Romero, augmented by lead guitar from Charlie Byrd! The sound is Latin-inflected with a soaring finish – part 60s easy, part bossa-inspired orchestration, with touches of Italian soundtrack styles as well. If you know any of Aldemaro's other records of the time, you know how groovy this one is – and it's made all the more so by Charlie Byrd's nice guitar work. Titles include "You Get Me Crazy", "It Never Ends", "Romance", "Moliendo Cafe", "El Gavilan", "Pajarillo En Onda Nueva", and "El Catire". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unusual albums ever recorded by South American groover Aldemaro Romero – a rare date cut in Mexico at the start of the 70s – served up in a beautiful blend of 60s bossa, jazz, and easy styles! The format here is somewhat similar to Aldemaro's albums of the period – especially his American records, thanks to the use of vocals – but the presence of Chilean singer Monna Bell gives the tunes an even more vocal-forward sound than before, especially since Monna's overdubbed in the arrangements – in a style that's quite a bit like Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66! But there's also something of a Mexican influence going on too, given the players and the setting for the record – a subtle difference to some of the rhythms and instrumentation that really makes this one stand out from Aldemaro's other records! Titles include "El Balaju", "La Bikina", "Xochimilco", "Tres Consejos", "La Negra", "El Jarabe Loco", and "Cucurrucuccu Paloma". CD

... CD

Donald Rubenstein's great soundtrack to George A.Romero's underrated, original riff on vampirism – and the score is a distinctive work, too! Kind of like the film, Donald Rubenstein's score both recalls and subverts genre expectations, with stripped down and eerie piano and string pieces, but also strange bits of percussion and woozy, dreamlike passages. It's impressive work, and probably pretty influential to some of the stranger, but still compositionally accomplished soundtracks to come later on down the road! Includes "The Calling (Main Title)", "Martin At The Butcher Shop", "Christina Leaves", "Back To Me", "Crawling Sequence", "Fly By Night", "Exorcism/Classical Funk", "Stake, Well Done!", and more. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Dave Samuels on vibraphone and marimba, Romero Lubambo on guitar, Dario Eskenazi on piano, Ray Vega on trumpet and flugelhorn, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Ruben Rodriguez on bass, Roberto Quintero on congas and percussion, Dafnis Prieto on drums and timbales, Mark Walker on drums, and Cafe on percussion. CD

Features Herbie Mann on flute, Romero Lubambo on guitar, Eduardo Simon and Mark Soskin on piano, Paul Socolow on bass, Ricky Sebastian on drums, and Cafe on percussion. Tracks include "Anima", "Pao E Poesia", "Aparecida", "Gabriela's Song", and "Choro Das Aguas". CD

A great follow-up to Claudio Roditi's Braziliance record – and like that set, a record that's filled with a similarly warm and breezy groove! There's a range of bossa and post-bossa elements at work in the mix, plus some slight Latin jazz touches too – and Roditi's horn sounds wonderful in the setting, really stretching out with these well-blown lines over work from a group that includes Romero Lubambo on guitar, Michael Dease on trombone, Helio Alves on piano, John Lee on bass, and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. All songs are originals by Roditi – and titles include "Slow Fire", "Piccolo Blues", "A Dream For Kristen", "Blues For Ronni", "Vida Nova", "Winter Dreams", and "Spring Samba". CD

Saxophonist James Carter dips into the Django Reinhardt songbook with help from Regina Carter on violin, Jay Berliner on steel string guitar, Romero Lubambo on nylon string guitar, Charlie Giordano on accordian, Steve Kirby on bass, Joey Baron on drums, and percussion wild man Cyro Baptisto. CD

Guitarist Larry Coryell – plus Romero Lubambo, Dori Caymmi, Marcio Montarroyos, Donald Harrison, Billy Cobham, and others! CD

Romero Lubambo on guitar, Nilson Matta on bass, and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. CD

Mark Weinstein on soprano, alto and bass flute, Romero Lubambo on classical guitar, Nilson Matta on acoustic bass, Paulo Braga on drums, Guilherme Franco and Jorge Silva on percussion. CD

Includes tracks by Virgina Lopez, Maria Victoria, Wello Rivas, Pedro Vargas, Margarita Romero, Antonio Prieto, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Vocalist Rene Marie has been quietly growing her craft for years – really turning into a hell of an artist, with a sound and a style that's a lot fresher than most! Where others might be content to recover familiar ground, Marie's always trying something new – writing great songs of her own, which make up the entire album – and moving to some soulful styles, while still holding onto her roots in jazz – a blend that maybe makes her the female equivalent of Gregory Porter, although Marie's been at it for a few more years! This set's a real reward to anyone who's followed Marie's music – and a great treat for anyone discovering her for the first time – and backing is by a core trio with John Chin on piano – alongside some guest appearances from Romero Lubambo on guitar, Sherman Irby on alto, and Etienne Charles on trumpet. Titles are all original – and include "Lost", "Stronger Than You Think", "Sound Of Red", "If You Were Mine", "Joy Of Jazz", "This Is Not A Protest Song", and "Many Years Ago". CD

Wonderful stuff – Nilsson's soundtrack for one of the strangest movies of the 60s – a mad film directed by Otto Preminger, and featuring a cast of characters that included Jackie Gleason, Frank Gorshin, Peter Lawford, Cesar Romero, and Groucho Marx as God! The sounds are a weird hippy dippy soundtrack style – but also drenched in Nilsson's wry wit, which keeps them from being too silly, a good thing, if you've seen the movie! The highlight of the album is the incredible "The Cast & Crew" – a number that rolled at the beginning of the film, in which Nilsson sings the name of everyone associated with the production – including the lighting guys and electrician! Other tracks include "Green Bay Packers March", "Angie's Suite", "The Tree", and "Garbage Can Ballet". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer Latin funk from the mid 70s – a totally rare little set, but a masterpiece all the way through! Sol is a combo headed up by keyboardist Joe Gallardo – and they've got a groove that blends together some wonderful elements – including jazz funk, straight Latin, and a bit of Chicano soul – all wrapped up in a warm, west coast sort of vibe that's totally great! In a way, the album almost feels like some lost treasure from Fantasy Records' best funky years – but it's also got a more unique feel overall, and a way of changing up the groove that keeps things fresh throughout. Lead vocals are by Ray Romero, who sings in English, and almost echoes Mark Murphy's style on Muse – and other instrumentation includes guitar, flute, saxes, trumpet, and lots of Latin percussion. Titles include the cut "Maranatha", a very nice groover – plus a version of Ray Barretto's "El Que Se Fue", Stevie Wonder's "Bird Of Beauty", and the original cuts "Sailing", "Patrice", "Someday", and "Squeeze". CD

A rare 80s set from Astrud Gilberto – cut at a time when she was hardly doing any new recording at all! As you'll guess from the title, the album has Gilberto teaming up with German groovemaker James Last – who handles all the orchestrations for the record, and shows a surprising sensitivity towards Astrud's bossa styles in his music. Last can sometimes be a bit over the top, but he's quite subtle here – leaving lots of room for Gilberto's sweetly sensitive vocals, and the music of her core combo, which features Romero Lubambo on guitar and Dudu Da Fonseca on percussion. Paulo Jobim guests on vocals and guitar on a few tracks – and titles include "Agua De Beber", "Champagne & Caviar", "Samba Do Soho", and "Saci". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Uptowns, Johnny & The Jammers, Albert Scott, Electric Bluebirds, Ronnie Barron, Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers, Jack McVea, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Higgins, Dion & The Belmonts, Chan Romero, Donna Dameron, Johnny Flamingo, Clifton Chenier, and Lloyd Price. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album